Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes it’s Fernando Alonso’s own fault that he hasn’t claimed more than two world titles, due to favouring money over performance.
There is no doubt that Alonso is one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all-time, with the Spaniard having already shown this season at Aston Martin that age is never a problem.
Despite being 41 years old, the double world champion has claimed back-to-back podiums this year and has been Red Bull’s biggest threat, with Jordan being confident as a result that the Spaniard “will win races this year”.
Given his sensational start to the 2023 F1 season, Jordan has reflected on Alonso’s career and how he instantly knew that the Aston Martin driver “was destined for greatness”.
READ: Toto Wolff says Mercedes need to ‘double development speed’ to catch Red Bull
The Irishman has blamed his career moves, though, as to why he’s failed to become more than a two-time World Champion, with him having left frontrunners McLaren at the end of 2007 to return to Renault in the midfield, before ditching Ferrari at the end of 2014 in favour of a second stint at the Woking-based side, who’d become a backmarker following their partnership with Honda.
“I remember seeing Fernando Alonso pass Michael Schumacher from the outside on a damp track on a really difficult corner in Suzuka, Japan, and I said, ‘oh my god, how can he get away with that!’” Jordan told OLBG.
“Alonso pulled the move off and I thought from there that he was destined for greatness.
“I actually blame him for not winning four, six or maybe even [becoming] eight-time World Champion, he should have picked his teams better.
“In his 30s, Alonso went for the money when he could have gone a different route.
“Now he’s come back to the understanding that he has a team around him that has enough to make the car finish well, but he won’t beat the Red Bulls.
“I believe he will win races this year.”
Focusing on this season, Alonso has proven that he will be a podium contender throughout the season.
He drove a sublime race in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and was Red Bull’s biggest threat, with Jordan recognising that in F1 “you can’t get there by fluke”.
Jordan does think Red Bull are currently “too much” for the Silverstone-based team, though, with the Spaniard having still finished comfortably behind the Austrians at both races so far this season.
The ex-team owner thinks Alonso should “be targeting [Sergio] Perez” and attempt to “get into his space and head”, in a bid to truly get amongst the Milton Keynes-based team.
“If I was Fernando Alonso, I know I would have a very fast and reliable car that can get him on the podium, which he’s proven twice already. You can’t get there by fluke, his speed is obvious,” added Jordan.
“But I would look at the gap between him and Sergio Perez at the end of the race, the tyres were similar.
READ: Max Verstappen will continue to ignore team orders
“If I was Alonso, I’d be targeting Perez and seeing how to get into his space and head.
“It was a very good start from Alonso but Perez made a great move and pulled away, despite the fact Alonso was desperate to hold onto the DRS.
“Alonso got whipped by an unbelievable Red Bull car, and it would probably happen again because keeping up with the Red Bull is too much for Aston Martin at the moment.”